Zambales is a famous city in the northern Philippines for its gorgeous islands and clear waters. You can experience this small paradise by a 3-4hr drive from Manila. But perhaps you are not familiar of this small town in Zambales called Masinloc.
The municipality of Masinloc is in the 2nd district of the province of Zambales. It has 13 barangays and about 50,000 in population as of 2014.
A 2-hectare tourist attraction giant clam farm is also located in Masinloc, near the island of San Salvador.
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Last January, I was sent to Masinloc to supervise a project for 20 days. Since, I got an itchy feet or a “makating paa” as what we call it, I wander around town in my spare time. And in my 20 days (but can fit into a day trip) in Masinloc, there are 8 things that made me like this town:
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1. BARANGAY NORTH POBLACION
Barangay North Poblacion is in my list because it is where we stayed for the whole duration of our project. I love it because it is near the beach, a small shopping mall, night food stands, a plaza, a wet and dry market, a police station, internet cafés, hardware stores etc. It’s basically a small community with everything you need in it.
I appreciate it so much because most of the places we’ve stayed or what we call our “barracks”, it’s as if we were in a secluded area, you see nothing but trees or vacant lots and most of the time you have to travel few kilometers to reach the town proper or what we call the “bayan”.
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2. 7ELEVEN NORTH POBLACION
Yes, you read it right, 7eleven. It’s the first time that I have ever encountered 7eleven near our place that’s why I am so psyched about it. It’s also the first time that I tried their French Vanilla Coffee and I loved it! Good thing I was so lazy one morning to make myself a cup of coffee. It’s creamy, very light and just the right amount of sweetness which I really like. I get it almost every day before I go to work, it only costs P29.00!
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3. BREAKFAST BY THE BAY
My friend and I always find some little ways to relax, so if we have some time before heading to work, we go to the bay just a few meters away from our place and sip our favorite French Vanilla coffee from 7eleven with hot pandesal from a local bakery.
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4. BARANGAY BANI
Barangay Bani is 15 minutes away from North Poblacion by car. It is where our project is located, a coal fired thermal power plant operated by AES Philippines. (Try to visit a power plant and be amazed how they produce electrical power!)
The reason why I love this community is because of its good governance under Captain Efren Edillor. The barangay improved a lot according to its locals and is still improving, with a bigger community plaza, new emergency health clinic, an on-going construction of TESDA Center and good employment rate, the barangay captain is doing a good job!
Barangay Bani is very strict with the vehicle speed limit. Barely noticed barangay police officers always carry a radar speed gun to catch speeding violators, so you must follow their speed limit which is 30kph or you will be fined by P200.00 as a first offense!
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5. CLAYPOT KAMBINGAN AND RESTAURANT
Or what we call it “Claypot” is located in Barangay Collat of Masinloc. At first, we were familiar with Claypot because we drive by this restaurant every time we go to work, but since my friend is craving for quite some time of eating a goat and I’m game to try something new, we have decided to have dinner in this restaurant.
The sour taste of the tamarind soup is soothing and the softness meat of the goat was just right. I was so surprised with their papaitan, it doesn’t taste that bitter and I can’t believe that actually I liked it, because the last time I ate papaitan, I wasn’t happy at all. And my favorite that dinner was the adobong kambing, I just love all adobos! <3
How much did we spend?
Sinampalukang Kambing = P 70.00
Papaitan =P 80.00
Adobong Kambing= P80.00
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6. KM241, GOTO AT IBA PA
Or “241” is located at the boundary of Candelaria and Masinloc. No wonder why it is called km241, for it is near the 241km post. Their Mami (beef noodle soup) is famous around town, with its tasty soup alone and soft cut beef, it is truly a winner! And it only cost P65.00! I also recommend having their crunchy chicharon as a snack on your way home, it only costs P80.00!
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7. SUNSET IN DAWAL BEACH
Dawal beach is located in the neighboring town of Masinloc, Candelaria. About a 20 minute drive from Masinloc. People usually go to Dawal beach to ride a boat going to the famous Potipot island. Not a white sand beach though but it is relaxing and peaceful. The photos below says it all!
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8. MASINLOQUEÑOS
And last but not the least, it’s the locals! They are so nice and uber friendly, from the professionals inside the coal fired plant to our simple neighbors, they are just as awesome as Masinloc. Mabiyay Masinloc!
HOW TO GET TO MASINLOC:
BY PRIVATE CAR:
1. Manila to NLEX
2. NLEX to SCTEX
3. Take the Subic/Olongapo exit in SCTEX.
4. Then straight ahead to Castillejos.
5. Just drive straight from Castillejos. You will pass through about 6 municipalities ( San Antonio – San Narciso – San Felipe – Cabangan – Botolan – Iba) before Masinloc.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
First Option: Take the Victory Liner Bus in Monumento going to Sta. Cruz Zambales. The bus will pass through Masinloc.
Second Option: Ride any bus going to Olongapo. From Olongapo Terminal, ride a UV Express going to Sta. Cruz Zambales. Again, it will pass through Masinloc.